Women’s Policy Group Calls for Stronger Protections in Justice Bill, Including Recognition of Misogyny as Hate Crime
22 May 2026 – The WRDA led Women’s Policy Group Northern Ireland (WPG), has submitted evidence to the Assembly’s Committee for Justice on the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill, urging critical amendments to better protect women and marginalised communities.
While welcoming elements of the proposed legislation, the WPG warns that the Bill risks missing a vital opportunity to address violence against women and girls unless key gaps are addressed.
Central to the WPG’s submission is the call for misogyny to be recognised in law as a statutory aggravator and for the introduction of a standalone misogyny offence. WRDA and the WRDA led WPG maintain that misogyny is a primary driver of violence against women and must be explicitly acknowledged within hate crime legislation.
The WPG also raised concerns about the exclusion of transgender identity from the list of statutory aggravators and called for the inclusion of “multiple group hostility” provisions to reflect the reality that individuals are often targeted based on intersecting aspects of their identity.
The submission highlights the importance of intersectionality, noting that women who experience racism, ableism, homophobia or transphobia alongside misogyny can face compounded harms that must be recognised in law.
In addition, the WPG:
Welcomes provisions to strengthen sentencing in “no body” murder cases, recognising the importance for families seeking closure
Supports the move towards statutory aggravators in sentencing, as a more transparent and consistent approach
Backs the inclusion of vulnerability as an aggravating factor
Calls for safeguards to ensure existing protections for minority groups cannot be rolled back
The WPG emphasised that there is already strong political and public support for recognising misogyny as a hate crime, including a unanimous Assembly motion in 2021 calling for such legislation as part of efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.
-ENDS-
For more information contact:
Elaine Crory, Women’s Sector Lobbyist, WRDA elaine.crory@wrda.net